The Child of Blood
by Dragon God Draygan
Summary: A trial run to see how well this idea takes. No Naruto fanfic (Blasphemy, I know). I introduce a new clan as well as a new character. There's not much of a summary yet because I don't know how well it's going to do, so please feel free to let me know in whatever way you choose. Just don't be too rude, ok? Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto or any of its characters.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This story is going to be a bit different. Naruto is not going to be in this story. I am replacing him with a character of my own creation. I will try to keep the rest of the story canon to the best of my ability, but keep in mind that it will be fairly difficult without the boy. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it. I just wanted to try something new that I have never seen done on this site before. Let me know what you think. This is just a trial run for now, but I hope that you guys enjoy.**

The Ketsueki clan was strange, to say the least. For one, the entire clan was nocturnal, only leaving their homes, a small city beneath Konoha. Everyone in the clan was an adult, as well, no children being born within it. They saw blood as sacred, and had the kekkai genkai to show it. They lived in the open space beneath the village

If you were to try and describe them today, the best way one could would be vampire. No member was born into the clan, rather they were turned into a member through some ritual. They had a mastery of blood, there's and other's if it was exposed. They drank blood to grow in power and gain the abilities of those whose blood was drunk.

They were the police force of Konoha at night, the first line of defense or offense in battle under the moon, and had been since the village's founding. To all other villages, they were monsters of myth. A horror story that was not to be taken lightly. To Konoha, they were guardians and protectors. To the Uchiha, they were enemies that must be taken out as soon as possible.

At least until that night.

The night the fox attacked was a night of celebration for the clan, so they were not there to fight the beast in time. When they had arrived the Kyuubi had already destroyed much of the surrounding area. All ninjas fought valiantly, few coming out of the fight alive.

The most devistating deaths were Minato, Kushina, and Naruto Namikaze. They died while the fox was being sealed away, the fourth from the jutsu, his wife died trying to defend her son, and Naruto died because of his inablility to control the massive amount of chakra that was put in him, killing the infant almost immediately after his parents died.

Now, Sorin Ketsueki, the clan leader of the Ketsueki clan kneeled before Sarutobi on that very same night. He had failed his mission, his duty, and he knew the penalty.

"Lord Sarutobi, I apologize greatly for my error. If it had not been for my stupidity, this would not be nearly as horrible as it is now."

"That is correct, and you know the penalty for failure, do you not?"  
"Execution, my lord. I am ready for the chopping block."

"Very well. The execution will be held tomorrow. You and your entire clan will pay the penalty."

"All?" Sorin exclaimed. "Even those who had no part in this? Hiruzen, you must not be serious!"

"You dare question Lord Hokage?" Fugaku questioned the head of the rival clan.

"Stay out of this, Uchiha!" Sorin yelled at his rival. "This does not concern you."

"As a matter of fact it does," Sarutobi said emotionlessly. "Upon your clan's execution, his will become the new lead defense of our village."

"Lord Hokage, I beg of you. Please do not do this."

"My decision has been made and is final."

Sorin bowed his head in defeat, long black hair falling in front of his face, a stark contrast to his pale white skin. "Very well, Lord Hiruzen. But may I ask for one favor, in private? Excluding your anbu whom you trust most, of course."

Sarutobi nodded and waved his hand. Fugaku, Hiashi, and all of the other clan heads present vanished with a nod of their heads. Only three anbu remained with the two ninja.

"What is your final demand?" Sarutobi asked.

"The reason why we were late tonight was because of a celebration that we were having."

"And?" the hokage asked, patience thinning.

"We were celebrating the birth of my son. I'm sure you understand the importance of such an event."

The shocked gasp from the hokage was all the answer he needed.

"Decades ago, I swore to appease any wish of the hokage of this village, and all of the members of my clan have since agreed to such a vow. They will all accept your punishment without question, but my son has yet to take such vows. I ask that he please be spared the execution."

"This boy," Hiruzen whispered. "He is the first child to be born into your clan, isn't he?"  
Sorin nodded. "Yes, my lord. All other members have joined through blood ritual. He is the first to be born."

"I see... well, I will acqueise to your last request, as payment for the decades of loyal service that you and your clan have given this village."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage. That is all I could ask." Sorin said, tears of crimson red falling from eyes of the same color.

"Gather your clan. Your execution is only a few hours from now."

With that, the Sandaime left, his anbu flanking him. Sorin sighed. His anger knew no bounds at that exact moment. He served this village, he and his family, his clan, for generations. And now they were to be cast aside like sand in the wind. No. His son would survive, even if Sorin had to break his oath and let the newborn escape.

He sank into the shadows, appearing again in the caverns beneath the village where the home of his clan was located. He quickly ran to his wife who held his son in her arms gracefully. He took the baby from her, face set into a scowl.

"My dear, is something wrong?" his wife asked of the clan head.

"Much..."

He explained the situation to her, watching as she grew terrified. He hated seeing her like that.

"But, what of Nyros? What will become of him without the guidance of his kind?"

"He will be like those above us, or at least as much like them as possible. I managed to convince the hokage to spare him."

"But why? Why did you have to? Why is Hiruzen doing this? You've known him since he was a boy. He saw you as a mentor. Why does he do this?"  
"I wish I knew. But we are not to question the one we've sworn ourselves to. He has ordered it, and so it shall be."

"Something is terribly wrong with all of this. He would not do this."

The baby yawned in his father's arms, just waking. He smiled at the man, giggling as he reached up for the man. The man smiled, warmth seeping into his usually cold body. He pet the boys head where black hair, just as dark as his, was already present.

"He will grow to be a great man," Sorin said. "I just wish that I could be there to see it."

"As do I."

The small family sat together, enjoying eachother's company as long as possible. Sadly, they knew that they could not stay together forever and made their way up to the surface, the rest of the clan in tow. Sorin covered the infant in his cloak as he made his way to the Hokage's building.

"Here he is," the clan head said as he handed Hiruzen the infant.

"The first born of the Kestueki clan. A pity that he had to be born at such a time."

"His name is Nyros. Do not let him forget it."

"Of course."

With that they made their way to the location of the execution. The day was known as the Red Morning, both as a tribute to the many lives lost to the fox and to the extinction of one of Konoha's most powerful clans.

All but one.

 **Thirteen Years Later**

Nyros sat in his seat in the ninja academy. Today, like most other days, he was struggling to keep his eyes open. No one understood why, but for some reason he could not stay awake in his class no matter what. Luckily, his grades didn't suffer for it.

He was one of the top of his class, tied with Sasuke Uchiha, something that bugged him more than he felt it should have. They were matched in almost everything, but Nyros was undoubtedly the better fighter when it came to hand-to-hand combat, at least when he was awake.

Today was important, though. He could not fall asleep here. It was the day of the ninja exam, the test that determined whether or not he would become a genin. He could not fail now.

And he wouldn't after this nap.

He shot up as a book was slammed loudly right next to him, jolting him out of his dreams. He looked up to see a very aggravated Iruka scowling down at him. His onyx eyes met with Iruka's brown as they made eye contact for a few brief moments.

"Yes, Iruka-sensei?"

"You missed it."

"What?"

"Your portion of the exam! You missed it. Slept right through it. We called multiple times for you, but you just kept on sleeping. Honestly, what the hell do you do at night that takes away your sleep?"

"I-I don't know, sir. Is it really too late for me to take it?"

"I'm afraid so." Iruka looked down at the boy, his already pale skin somehow becoming a shade lighter. "I'm sorry Nyros, but if you can't stay awake, maybe it's for the best."

"Like hell it is!" Nyros yelled. He ran from the building as fast as his legs could take him, running into the forest that surrounded the village. He climbed a tree and sat on one of the branches until he watched the sun sink below the horizon, leaving only the light of the moon and the stars to illuminate his surroundings. But that was enough for him. To Nyros, it was still as bright as day outside.

Crouching on the branch that he was sitting on, he shot off to his home, flying through the trees. He was on high alert, the drowsiness from earlier completely gone. As he moved, with each kick off a branch, he felt something heavy slap his chest. Pausing, he reached into his shirt, a red t-shirt covered covered by a black leather trench coat.

Pulling on the chain that he had worn for as long as he could remember, he lifted a stone with the color and shape of a burning leaf on it. It had been one of the few gifts he had ever received, this one from the Hokage himself. He had said that it resembled the will of fire within each person of the village.

Pulling at the necklace sharply, he snapped the chain around his neck and hurled the gem into the forest. As he watched it fly through the trees, he heard a soft whack followed by a curse and a thump. Curious, he ran over to where the noise had come from.

He found Kiba Inuzuka, a class mate of his with a massive scroll a few feet away from him.

"Kiba?" Nyros asked the canine-looking man.

"Nyros? What the hell? Did you throw that thing at me?" Kiba asked, pointing to the necklace.

"I threw it, but not at you," Nyros said, picking the piece of jewelery up and putting it in a pocket of his coat. "What are you doing with that scroll?" He watched as Kiba quickly stiffened.

"Nothing."

"Really? Nothing?"

"Yes. Nothing. And why should I tell you anyway? You slept through your test. Makes sense that you're wide awake now."

Nyros quickly scowled at the dog man. "Tell me what you're doing now, or I will put you through a world of pain." He threatened.

"Alright, fine. He said that he would give me Akamaru back if I got him this scroll."

"Who?"

"Me," an all too familiar voice said to the left of the boys.

"Mizuki," Nyros said as he saw the man who was his sensei. He turned to Kiba. "Go get help. I'll hold him off."

"What? No way. If I go back now, I'll be in a ton of trouble."

"I don't care. Just go."

"But..."

"NOW KIBA!"

Kiba bounced up and immediately ran back to the village.

"Oh no you don't," Mizuki said as he began to run at the retreating ninja, only to be stopped by a swift kick to the side by Nyros.

"I could say the same thing to you," Nyros remarked with a smirk.

Mizuki growled at the boy. "I guess I'll just have to kill you first."

He unclasped one of the large shruiken from his back, hurling it in Nyros's direction. Nyros managed to dodge the attack, but not the follow up where Mizuki kicked him in the side.

"Smarts, doesn't it."

They continued their fight for several minutes, both beginning to grow tired by the end.

"You're good. A pity you didn't make the cut. Gotta love sound cancelling seals, don't you?"

"What are you talking about?"  
"Simple. I placed a few seals around you that cancelled out sound, allowing you to sleep like a baby through the exams. No one could wake you up. It was funny."

"You're the reason why I didn't wake up?"  
"You got it. But then again, what more could I expect from a Kestueki."

"...What?" Nyros said, eyes wide in shock. "What do you mean?"

"You are the last of the Kestueki clan. They're not a myth. They did exist, and each story that you heard about them is true. They were monsters. And you're the only one still alive. Tell me, how does that make you feel?"

"You're lying. You've got to be lying!"  
"Just look in the scroll yourself then," Mizuki offered. "In the mean time, I need to go with this, so I'll see you later."

Mizuki, in a blur, grabbed the scroll on the ground and ran off with it.

"WAIT!" Nyros said, giving chase.

As soon as he started chasing he knew that it was pointless. There was no way he would be able to find him. Stopping at a tree, he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to catch his breath.

"I'm not a monster," He mumbled to himself. "I'm not a monster. I'm not a monster. I'm not a monster. I'M NOT A MONSTER!" He yelled out at the end, a blast of wind shooting from all around him.

His eyes snapped open again, this time a crimson red. To him the world had not changed, except for the red glow in the distance that was moving away from him. Acting on instinct, he chased the light as fast as he could.

As he got closer, he heard a steady 'th-thump, th-thump, th-thump' that seemed to crescendo as he approached his target. Soon he was right above the light, which he now noticed to be streams that all connected to a bright light that pulsed in time with the thumbing.

He shot down at the target, tackling it to the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut to avoid dirt getting in them and when he opened them again, he saw none other than Mizuki in his grasp.

He jumped away from the man as Mizuki kicked at him. Curious, he shut his eyes again, opening them to show the pulsing red light again, the thumping returning as well.

"You're heartbeat," Nyros said in a moment of realization. "I'm seeing your heartbeat."

"Told you you were a monster," Mizuki said smugly, clutching his side. "You even have the eyes of one."

"I am NOT a monster. I am Nyros."

"Keep telling yourself that, freak."

Mizuki quickly grabbed the second of his shruiken and threw it at Nyros. This time he didn't dodge. Something told him that he didn't have to.

Calmly, he watched as the blade made its way towards him. Right before it struck, however, he felt his body... transform. It was a feeling that could not be described without seeing it, and it terrified Mizuki.

He watched as Nyros's body transformed into a swarm of bats and zoom over to him, a hand forming first with a kunai readied, stabbing him in the chest, the rest of his body reforming afterwards, red eyes glowing in the moonlight.

"I'm tired of you," Nyros said as he removed the kunai from his chest. Mizuki coughed up blood as he felt it pool in his lungs. "Begone."

Those were the last words that he heard before Nyros sliced the man's throat open, letting blood spray out all over the young ninja, his face a look of boredom and impassiveness as he watched the life leave the chunin's eyes. When it was over, Nyros immediately fell to his knees and vomited everything that was in his stomach.

Luckily for him, the other jonin arrived, with Kiba leading them. They took one look at the gruesome scene and immediately had Iruka take the two boys back to the village.

Now they stood in front of the Hokage, who was more than a little aggravated.

"Inuzuka, do you have any idea how many rules that you have broken tonight?"

"Yes sir."

"You broke into my home, stole a forbidden scroll, and attacked me. That is more than enough to remove your status as a ninja."

"B-but sir."

"I will not do so, seeing as how these were extraordinary circumstances and you are still green, but know that I will be watching you very carefully. Understand?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage. Thank you."

"Good, you may leave." Kiba bowed and left the room, a huge grin on his face.

"Now, Nyros-"

"Is it true?" Nyros interrupted.

"What? Is what true?"

"What Mizuki said. About me being a monster. Is it true?"

"And why would you think that?"  
"He said that I was the last of the Kestueki clan and that all the legends about them were true, that they were all monsters who fed on the blood of the innocent and hunted humans for sport. Is that true?"

Hiruzen sat for a moment, contemplating and smoking on his pipe.

"Not all of it," He said thoughtfully. "You might want to take a seat, m'boy." He sat in the chair closest to him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"To start, yes, you are the last of the Kestueki clan. You are the son of Sorin Kestueki, head of the clan. And a personal friend of mine. But you are not a monster. And neither were the Kestueki's.

"The Kestueki clan were our defenders. Ninja of this village, but with seperate beliefs than most of those outside their clan. They worshipped blood, the essence of all life. To them, blood was the most precious thing in the world and the spilling of theirs was sacriellege. So they developed a way to control their blood to an extreme degree."

"But didn't they drink blood as well? They kidnapped people and brought them to their lair to feast on."

"They did drink blood, but only rarely did they drink directly from a person. They did not kidnap anyone, rather drank donations or drank from their enemies. They were capable of many feats- being able to meld into shadows, transform their bodies into bats, had enhanced strength and speed, could see the heart beats of those around them, and could charm people with a genjutsu easily.

"But they were nocturnal. They slept in their homes during the day, coming out at night to defend our village from attackers. The sun, while not painful, drained them of their energy and weakened them greatly, while water could put any of them down for the count if used correctly."

"And I am one of them?"

"You are the last of them. The rest all died out years ago. You were the only one to survive, but you are special."

"How?"

"No member of the Kestueki clan are born into the clan. Rather, it is a ritual that they go through that transforms them into one. This allowed the clan to have many members to have other kekkai genkai, or blood gifts. They were the most diverse clan in the seven nations. But, the reason why no members had been born into it was because no woman in the clan was able to bear children. Save your mother.

"The night the fox attacked, you were born and the entire Kestueki clan was celebrating the first born of their clan. That night, the fox killed all of the clan, except you. Your mother protected you to the last."

Nyros was crying, tears of blood falling from his onyx eyes.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Nyros said as he wiped the crimson tears away.

"It was nothing. It was something that I should have told you about before. By the way, do you still have that necklace that I gave you?"

He nodded and reached into his pocket, presenting it to the hokage.

"I might as well explain this to you," he said as he took the jewelery. "This was to be used to seal away your power until you were a genin. But now, I don't think that it's needed anymore. Unless you still want it."

"But sir, I'm not a genin yet. I missed the exam."

"Don't worry about it. Judging by your grades, even if you failed the exam, you still would've passed and become a ninja. Now, do you want it or not?"

"If it could be possible, I would like to keep it."

"Very well. I'll remove the seals on it and return it to you tomorrow. Have a good night's rest. I expect to see you in a headband next time I see you, understand?"

"Yes sir!"

 **AN: So, what did you guys think (assuming you made it this far). If there's anything you want me to do or add in please let me know in the comments. Love it, hate it, I don't care, just let me know. For now this is only a trial, something to test the waters about how good this idea is, so again, let me know in the comments. Have a nice day/night/morning/evening/whatever floats your boat.**

 **Oh, and just so you know, Ketsueki means blood.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hello again. It's me, Draygan. I'm sorry that this chapter took so long for me to post, but writing this was inexplicably hard for some reason. I hope that you guys like it.**

 **A big thank you to Leofrick. I did not expect a comment like that on my first chapter, so thank you so much and I hope that you enjoy this one as much as you did the last one. If not, let me know why and I'll see if I can fix it in my next chapter. And to answer your question, it's because he himself is ashamed of it and doesn't want Nyros to know that he, the only person that was close to a parental figure in his life is the reason why he doesn't have a clan. And thank you for favoriting and following this story.**

 **And also thank you TheRealDeal44 for following. I know that that it might not seem like much, but knowing that people like what I write enough to want to stay updated on it makes me glad. And convinced to keep writing.**

 **Anyway, thank you both. And now, to the story!**

Most of the other ninja had left, leaving only three in the large classroom. One was Sakura Haruno, an airhead of a girl who got very good grades and spent all of her time fawning over her idol, Sasuke, who was also there. Sasuke was a brooding boy who Nyros had never seen smile for years. Being rivals, they saw eachother a lot. Sakura was sitting directly next to Sasuke, practically hanging on him despite his attempts to get her off.

Nyros sat a few rows behind them, smiling at the scene. He was completely awake in the class which surprised the vast majority of his peers and teachers, and himself somewhat.

"I guess that that necklace really was doing its job, huh?" he mumbled to himself.

"What's that, lead-head?" Sasuke taunted. Nyros just smiled at him.

"I was just thinking about what your children would look like. Duck-butt hair in a bright pink, or long, black hair that made them look like goths. I just can't decide which would be funnier."

"Why you!" Sasuke said as he stood up ready to fight his teamate, finally managing to shake the stunned pinkette off him.

As soon as he did though, the door slid open and a man with silver hair, a mask on his lower face, and his headband covering one of his eyes, lazily walked in. He leaned against the teacher's desk and looked at the three of them.

"This might be harder than I thought," he mumbled to himself. "Alright, I want all three of you to meet me on the roof in a few minutes. We'll do introductions there," he said before he vanished in a swirl of leaves and wind.

Sakura happily stood and walked out the door while the Sasuke glared at the still smiling Nyros whose hands were comfortably resting in the pockets of his coat. It was a miracle that he didn't get hot in the thing.

When they all got on the roof with the silver-haired man he told them to sit down on a small set of steps while he rested against the railing.

"This is how it's gonna be. When it's your turn, you will say your name, your goal, your likes, and your dislikes. Got it?"

"Why don't you demonstrate for us, Sensei?" Sakura asked politely.

"Alright. My name is Kakashi Hatake. I don't really have any goals, I don't want to tell you what I like, and I don't care enough to really have a dislike."

"Well that was pointless," all three thought. "All we learned was his name."

"Your turn, pinky," Kakashi said, pointing at Sakura. She and Sasuke both introduced eachother, then it was Nyros's turn.

"My name is Nyros. No last name, just Nyros. I like the night and cloudy days, I dislike extreme sunlight, and my goal is to prove that me and my people aren't all monsters," Nyros said.

"What could he mean by that?" Kakashi thought to himself. "Is he a jinchuuriki or something else?"

"His people?" Sasuke asked himself. "Who on Earth are 'his people'?"

"Okay. That's enough for today. We'll meet again tomorrow at training ground seven. We'll meet at six in the morning and I would recommend that you not eat breakfast. Unless you want to vomit it back up. Bye." With that, Kakashi vanished again, leaving the three genin on their own.

"I'll see you guys later," Nyros said. "I need to get ready for tomorrow. I recommend you two do the same."

"Why should we listen to you?" Sasuke said. Nyros sighed.

"Because it's common sense. We are most likely going to be doing some heavy excercise or combat practice tomorrow, so eat a lot tonight and grab a small, filling snack for the morning. I'll see you at the training grounds."

When he finished he walked down the steps, hearing Sakura tell Sasuke to ignore him and Sasuke say that he was right. A large smirk formed on his face and he made his way to the Hokage's office.

After a few minutes of walking, he arrived at the door that led to Hiruzen's office and opened it without knocking.

"Hey, gramps!" Nyros exclaimed, startling the old man and causing him to knock a large stack of papers over.

"Who in the blazes..." Sarutobi yelled angrily before he saw Nyros. "Nyros, hello again. Are you here for the necklace?"

"I am. Is it ready yet?"

"It is." He reached into a drawer of his desk, pulling out the necklace as well as a small scroll. "Here you are. And I managed to find this while I was in the study. Your father wrote it years ago. It is a telling of the Ketsueki Clan's powers, abilities, and kekkai genkai. I think that you should read some of it and practice what it says."

"Thank, Lord Hokage," Nyros said as he grabbed the scroll and put the necklace back on, feeling comforted by its familiar weight. "It really means a lot to me. Having something of my father's."

"I'm sure. Now get going. I need to get a lot of paperwork done before I'm allowed to leave."

Nyros bowed and left the office, scroll held tightly in his hand. He ran home as fast as he could, slamming the door shut and jumping onto his bed as he unrolled the scroll. The first thing that it talked about was something called 'Shadow Step'. It worked very similarly to the transportation jutsu that he had seen other ninja use, only it replaced him with a black vapor as he was teleported wherever he wanted to go. He spent several hours practicing it until he had grown so tired that he passed out in his bed, alarm set to go off properly the next morning.

 **The Next Morning:**

The three genin all stood around, waiting for their teacher to arrive. It was now eight am and everyone was getting a little antsy. Mostly Sakura, who was ticking off both boys by her constant complaining, even if they did agree with her for the most part.

Thankfully, Kakashi arrived with a lame excuse and told the three to get in front of him.

"Alright, here's how it is. I am going to test you three to see if you are ready to become genin. The test at the school was a barrier of entry, but this is the real test. If you fail this, you go back to the academy to continue your lessons."

"What?! That's not fair!" Sakura exclaimed. Nyros and Sasuke had expected something like this, but were still surprised by how blunt that he had been.

"Life's not fair, Miss Haruno." Kakashi pulled two small bells from his pocket and attatched them to his belt loop. "The only people who will pass will be those who get one of these two bells," he explained. "You have until noon to get them from me. Now, scatter!"

At his command, Sakura and Sasuke both vanished into the surrounding forest, Nyros just stood there, completely relaxed.

"What are you still doing here?" Kakashi asked him. "Why didn't you run off like the other two?"

"By doing this, I'm giving them the time to get properly hidden and come up with strategies. That, and I want to test myself."

"Test yourself?"

"Right. I have no delusions that I can beat you, but I wanted to see how I stood up to a trained ninja rather than just my peers. So, will you accept my challenge?"

"Gladly."

Nyros smirked at the older shinobi as they both entered their own stances. They stood there for a few seconds before Nyros jumped at Kakashi who immediately went to counter the attack. At the last second, however, Nyros vanished into a thin cloud of black smoke, reappearing behind Kakashi in a similar cloud and swept his leg at Kakashi's, trying to trip him, but was jumped over as Kakashi spun, trying to kick the boy.

Nyros ducked further down, springing back up with a punch aimed at Kakashi's stomach. Kakashi narrowly dodged the attack, flipping away from the genin and putting some space between them. Kakashi narrowed his eye at his opponent, the previous laziness gone. He was surprisingly good for a genin, especially one who supposedly slept through most of his classes. Then he noticed his crimson eyes that almost seemed to glow.

"So that's what he meant," Kakashi mumbled as he reentered his stance. "I guess I'll have to be a little serious about this, then."

 **With Sasuke:**

Sasuke sat in the trees, watching as Nyros and Kakashi fought for several minutes. To be honest, he was somewhat amazed. He knew that Nyros was strong, but he had no idea that he was able to stand his ground against a jonin. He recognized that Nyros was stronger than him, and probably faster, but he had better chakra control and knew a few fire-style techniques. Not to mention his sharingan, when it awoke.

Regardless, he was impressed, and angry that he was impressed.

"I can do that," Sasuke mumbled angrily at himself as he jumped away, remembering the first thing that Nyros had said. "I can fight Kakashi like that, too. I will not fall behind, Nyros. I promise you that."

He spent the next several minutes setting up traps for Kakashi, eagerly awaiting his sensei's arrival.

 **With Sakura:**

To say that Sakura was angry was an understatement. She was livid. At who? Nyros.

Nyros had stolen the spotlight that should've been her Sasuke's by fighting Kakashi like that. Nevermind that he said he was doing it to help them. She knew that he was just trying to get on their master's good side. Well she wasn't going to let that happen.

She was about to jump out of the tree that she had been hiding in and pummel her teamate, but was startled when a stray kunai that one of them had thrown at eachother flew just above her head, imbedding itself directly above her. In her shock she accidentally fell off the tree and hit the ground on her head, knocking her out.

 **Back with Nyros:**

They had been fighting for a good ten minutes now and he was beginning to tire while Kakashi looked like he was just walking through the park. Several times Nyros had made a grab for one of the bells and a few of those times he had come really close, but none of them were successful.

He jumped away from the quick spar that they were having to catch his breath.

"There's no way. He's too good. There's no way that any of us could get a bell from him. Not on our own, at least." That's when it dawned on him.

"Master Kakashi," he addressed. "If I may, I would like to take a break from this fight. It is obvious that you will win, even if you are holding back this much. So, I say that we end it here."

"Agreed. Just be sure to grab a bell before noon. Otherwise you'll be going back to school."

"Understood," Nyros said. He gave a two fingered salute and vanished again, a whisper of: "I'll be back with reinforcements," heard in the clearing.

_  
 **With Sasuke:**

Nyros appeared in a cloud of smoke just behind his long-time rival as he was setting up a trap. Nyros tapped him on the shoulder, causing the Uchiha to jump in shock and the trap to go off, throwing a dozen kunai in front of them.

"Wow," Nyros said with a whistle. "That would've been painful if it had worked."

"What do you want?" the Uchiha demanded.

"Nothing too important. Just that I know how to pass this test."  
"Yeah, you get a bell. I know."

"I thought so too. But isn't weird that all genin are in teams of three, excluding their master? Why would we be the only one with two people?"

"That's fair. What are you getting at?"

"I think that the bells are a ruse. A distraction from the real goal. I thought that the way you pass was by proving that you were knowledgable in everything that's expected of genin, but during my fight with Kakashi I realized something."

"Just get to the point," Sasuke said, annoyed.

"Fine. It's a teamwork exercise. We can't get the bells on our own. Kakashi is a jonin. The only reason that we would get one would be if he let us."

"So we aren't supposed to get the bells at all. We just need to show him that the three of us can work together as a team."

"That's right."

"Then let's go," Sasuke said, holding his fist out to Nyros. With a smirk he bumped his rival's fist with his own.

It wasn't very well known, but the two were very good friends. Their rivalry often had them be together a lot and eventually it turned into a very competitive friendship. I Nyros were to describe it, it would be that they would go get a drink together, but it would quickly turn into a competition of who can drink the most. Because of their competitiveness they didn't look at all like friends, but they liked it that way. A lot less hectic for Nyros and Sasuke could keep up his usual persona.

"So, where's Sakura?"

"Unconscious under a tree near where Kakashi and I were fighting. I saw her just hiding up there, clearly angry at me about something. She was getting down, most likely to interfere with me, so I threw a kunai at her to make her stay put. Instead she jumped from it and fell off, hitting her head on the ground and knocking herself out. She should be waking up soon."

The two just looked at eachother for a moment before pointing at one-another and saying, "You're getting her!" simultaneously. They both glared at the other before they decided to get her together.

"So let me get this straight," Sakura said disbelievingly. "You mean to tell me that in order to pass this I have to work with you?"

"Yes," Nyros said with a sigh. "And if you don't you'll go back to the academy while your Precious Sasuke and I are busy being ninja. Now, do you want to pass or not?"

"If it means that I get to be with Sasuke, then fine, I'll work with you."

"Thank you!"  
"But I'm not happy about it!"

"You've made that abundantly clear," Sasuke said monotonously. "Now, here's the plan."

 **Thirty Minutes Later:**

Everyone was sitting at one of the posts while Kakashi made his judgement. He had to admit, he was surprised by them. Nyros proved just how capable he was and, due to their rivalry, it was safe to assume that Sasuke was at around the same level. Their teamwork was flawless, they covered eachother's weakpoints, and worked almost as a single unit.

That left Sakura as the loose end. She did try, but clearly stood no chance against him or in the teamwork of her partners. She did help with the strategy planning a lot, as he had seen from a clone, but she clearly was not skilled in actual combat. All in all, they

"Passed," Kakashi said with an eye smile. The three all had massive smile on their faces, bruised and beaten as they were. "You three are the only team that have ever passed my test, and Nyros, you were the first to pick up on what to do.

"Like he had said, the bells served as a distraction from the real goal. If there were only two bells, one of you would have to be sent home, so none of you would work together, and even if you did, you would always try to one-up your team mate.

"Nyros, while I was impressed by your combat ability as well as... other things that you used in our fight, a ninja must know how to hide and not be noticed by anyone. You're open challenge will not work in our line of business."

"Yes sir. And phrasing."  
"Sasuke, your traps were all very impressive, but they were all localized in a single spot. I understand that you weren't done yet, but even then they should've been more spread out. Even if you had lured me into the trap successfully, if I had decided to run, you would be at a disadvantage. Your combat skills were also impressive and your teamwork with Nyros was more than commendable. But you're too headstrong. I know that the two of you have a rivalry, but you need to put it aside when you are fighting an opponent. Otherwise it might end badly."

"Understood."

"And Sakura, while I am impressed with your strategy to bring me down, you did very little on your part. You need to be able to pull your own weight, especially in your plans and strategies. Also, if you get scared enough by a rogue kunai that you fall and knock yourself out, maybe you should work on not being scared so easily. And Nyros, good aim."

"Thank you, sir." Nyros said with a shy smile as he felt Sakura's gaze shooting daggers into him.

"Now then, we will all meet here every day at the same time and train together until noon. After that we will go and pick up a mission once a week on saturday morning and complete it, finishing up that day with more, lighter, training. Understood?"

"Yes sensei," all three of them chorused together.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow." Giving a slight wave their master vanished into thin air.

"What the hell did he mean by that, Nyros?" Sakura yelled at him. Nyros quickly covered his ears as her loud voice hurt his eardrums.

"He was complimenting me on my aim. I threw a few kunai at him, one of which hit one that he had thrown at me. That's probably what he meant."

"Sure," Sakura said with an eye roll. "Like I'd believe that for a moment. You threw that kunai at me, didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Sakura." He began to walk away from them. "Now, if you don't mind, I want to get some reading done. I'll see the two of you later."

With that he shadow stepped his way back into his bedroom, quickly opening the scroll and reading the next item.

"Hunger," he read aloud. "Why does that sound familiar. What's it say?"

"Hunger is an entity within all young Ketsueki," he continued to read. "It is very similar to a second personality in that it is another consciousness within the ketsueki's mind that is its own being. It is the representation of the bloodlust, love of carnage, death and destruction, untapped power, and thirst of blood of the Ketsueki. Hunger loves to fight brutally, enjoying in the torment that it brings to its foes. Eventually Hunger is assimilated into the dominant personality, but it is a dangerous force until then. The release of Hunger in any non-life-threatening situation is forbidden."

"Interesting," he thought as he set the scroll down. "I don't think that I've had to deal with this 'Hunger' before. But this is probably what Hiruzen meant when he said to not let the hunger consume me. Good advice, old man."

 **AN: So, what did you guys think? Like I said last time, the Ketsueki's are all essentially vampires. So I've given them vampiric powers. I won't be giving them all of the powers and I will be giving some of my own, but know that, by the time that this is over, he will be very powerful.**

 **I have big plans for this story so let me know what you all thought of this chapter in the comments below.**

 **Speaking of comments, feel free to check out my youtube channel, Wizard Warrior Gaming where me and my friend play some of our favorite and most anticipated games. It's a blast.**

 **And last but not least, be sure to favorite and follow this story. Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I know this is early, but I was so excited from your reactions to the last chapter and I wanted to keep you guys happy. Thank you so much for all of the support.**

 **So, I took the advice that you guys gave me and tried to incorporate it into this story. Fair warning though; I suck at fight scenes. I don't really know how to describe it, so I often let you guys try and imagine the fight yourselves. I will do my best, but be ready to use your imagination.**

 **Thank you to:**

 **Shy911 for following this story, I hope that you continue to enjoy it.**

 **Jimenesja12 for following as well, welcome to the party, I hope you stay all night.**

 **Leofrick again for the amazing comment. I'm glad that you're enjoying it and I wish that this chapter doesn't ruin it for you.**

 **And lastly to Mr. Anonymous Guest for the comment. And as far as your request, I would like to know what she's like and what role you want her to have before I say yes or no. If you can, PM me with it and I'll let you know.**

 **NOW, ONTO THE STORY!**

 **A Few Weeks Pass** :

The three all stood in the hokage's office, just returning from a mission. It was a simple task that took the team half an hour at most. They'd been having missions like this for several days now, and to say they were bored would be an understatement.

"Come on gramps," Nyros almost whined. "You know that we're able to take on higher level missions. Just let us have one."

"Quiet Nyros," Kakashi scolded. "Lord Hokage determines what we are and are not ready for. Not you." Nyros pouted slightly before he regained his composure.

"And what do you think, Kakashi?" Hiruzen asked. "Do you think that they are ready?"

"To be honest sir, I agree with Nyros. As does the rest of this team. They are more than ready for the next level."

Sarutobi nodded, thinking it over. "Very well. I think that I can grant your wish. There is a mission that needs doing, but all of the teams who usually do these are out on other assignments. So, you will be escorting the bridge-builder Tazuna back to his home in the Land of Waves. You may enter, Tazuna."

A door opened to reveal an old man, clearly drunk with a bottle of alchohol in his hands.

"What? You mean that I'm gonna be placin' my life in a bunch of snot nosed brats? Like hell."

"Who are you callin a snot-nosed brat, you old drunk?" Nyros asked in a moment of rare pride. His hands quickly shot to his mouth, his eyes wide open. "I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over me."

Tazuna just laughed. "Pay it no mind, brat." Nyros growled slightly. "I like a bit o' spunk. Maybe it won't be that bad afterall."  
"Your mission begins tomorrow morning. Be prepared," the hokage said. They all began to file out but Sarutobi stopped Kakashi. "I need to speak with you before you leave. Come to my office tonight."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

 **That Night:**

Kakashi entered the Hokage's office already knowing what this was about.

"I'm glad that you could make it, Kakashi," Hiruzen said.

"I knew that this was important. I wasn't going to be late for this."

"I'm glad. I'm sure you've noticed by now about Nyros."

"That he's a Ketsueki. Yeah, I've noticed. I also noticed what happened earlier today with Tazuna."

"It's beginning to manifest. The eyes are the first clue. You need to keep a close eye on him. I don't want to think of what would happen if it were to be released. If it does, you need to put a stop to hit as soon as possible."

"Why didn't it manifest sooner?"

"The seal that I had him wear kept it suppressed. I'm sure that it's still been helping, but it won't be much longer until it's released."

"Understood. I'll keep an eye on him."

"Good. Now get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow."

 **The Next Morning**

The three genin and Tazuna all stood just outside the village, awaiting the silver-haired jonin, Kakashi. They had been making small talk and Nyros and Sasuke had decided to pass the time by competing with one another.

"Are the always like that?" Tazuna asked the pinkette while they watched them run back and forth between two trees, counting eachtime they touched one.

"Nowadays, yes. They weren't always this competitive, but they've always been trying to out do one another since they started school."

"Huh."

About thrity minutes later Kakashi finally arrived to see Sakura and Tazuna getting along and Nyros and Sasuke lying down on the ground, in the shade, just looking up at the leaves. Both were still covered in sweat and were breathing heavily, but he knew that they wold be fine.

"Alright everybody, strap on your bags and lets get going," Kakashi said. "We've got a long walk ahead of us, so be sure to pace yourselves and drink plenty of water."

With that they all got their bags and began to walk down the dirt road. Tazuna and Sakura were talking about something behind Kakashi and Nyros and Sasuke were bickering behind them. Some times it was a mystery how those two could work together, much less be friends, but he supposed that it's just not the friendship that he was used to.

As they were walking, Nyros noticed two small puddles of water on the road. He stopped for a moment to look at them when he heard a whisper in his head.

" _Strike them_ ," it said. " _They are illusions, tricks. You can hear their hearts beating. Do not fall for their trickery. Strike them, kill them, show them what we are capable of_."

Nyros shook his head, making the voice go away, a dull thumping from the water replacing the sound. Eyes widening, he quickly pulled out a kunai and threw it at the puddle, jumping away from it quickly.

"What are you doing, numbskull?" Sasuke asked him.

"Quiet, dickhead," he responded, his voice low and level. Sasuke recognized it. It was his tone when he was being serious about something. He began to walk over to his friend to see what he was looking at when two people shot up from the puddles, each wearing breating masks and bandages covering most of their bodies.

"One little piggy," they said as a sharp chain connected the two assassins and charged at Nyros. Too fast for most of the others to see, Nyros vanished and reappeared behind the two of them, knives held up to their throats.

"Two little morsels," he whispered darkly, too quiet to be heard by anyone else, as he sliced both of their necks open.

To Kakashi, everything was in slow motion. He saw the two ninja charge Nyros and was about to rush over there to help his student until he saw Nyros' eyes turn a crimson red and a wicked smile appeared on his face just before he vanished behind the brothers and killed them with the same demented smile.

He pulled out a kunai and held it hidden against his arm as he walked over.

"Nyros, are you okay?" Kakashi asked.

Nyros quickly shook his head again, his eyes returning to thier natural black color. Luckily, no one else noticed the change in color.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" he asnswered, confused. He looked down at his hands that were still gripping the blood-covered knives, which led to him seeing the two corpses at his feet. He dropped the knives and panicked, not knowing what was going on.

 _"It's just like with Mizuki,"_ he thought. " _I blacked out for a second and the next thing I know he's dead in front of me._ "

"Are you going to be okay, Nyros?" Kakashi asked again.

"Yeah. I-I'll be fine. I just need a second."

"Take your time. Just take it while we're moving. Go meet up with the others. I'll be right with you guys."

Nyros nodded and made his way to his team. Sasuke and Sakura gave him a look of worry while Tazuna had one of absolute horror.

"Y-you just killed them." Nyros nodded. "So fast, I didn't even notice it at first." Nyros nodded again. "How? How could you just kill like that?"

"Because it's what we are trained to do, Mr. Tazuna," Kakashi answered for him. "We are ninja. We kill. We will protect you by killing those who would harm you. Nyros did his job by eliminating a threat, that's all. And Tazuna, you and I will have to talk. Now let's move."

Kakashi and Tazuna walked side-by-side as they discussed whatever it was they needed to talk about while Nyros was flanked by Sasuke and Sakura.

"Are you okay, Nyros?" Sakura asked.

"I'm fine."

"You look pale."

"I am pale."

"Paler than usual," Sasuke explained. "What happened back there? That wasn't normal."

"Like Kakashi said, I eliminated a threat to the mission."

"I know that there's more to it than that," Sasuke said. He glared at his friend for a few seconds, shrugging when it was clear that it wasn't going to work. "Whatever. If you don't want to tell us then that's your call. Just remember that we are always willing to listen."

"Thanks. Both of you."

"Nyros, I need to talk to you," Kakashi said as Tazuna slowed down to join the other four. Nyros hurried up and got in line with his master.

"Yes, Kakashi?"

"I know you've heard this a lot already, but are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You just killed two people today and I can tell that you're still shaken up about it."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Definitely not. It shows that you're not a monster. Just remember, you're trying to prove that your clan aren't monsters. You can't let that happen again, understand? If you do, if you lose control again, I will have to take you out. Understood?"

Nyros nodded. "Yes sir. But, how did you figure it out?"

"Your eyes. They change when you get into a serious fight like you did when you and I fought during your test. Your clan is the only one with eyes like that, the closest being the Uchiha. And I noticed it yesterday when you snapped at Tazuna. Just keep it under control in the future, alright?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now, let's hurry up, we want to cover as much distance as possible before sundown."

 **In Wave Country:**

They were all at the ocean's edge, looking at the marvelous bridge that Tazuna and his men were building. Tazuna was bragging about how incredible the bridge was going to be when it was complete when Kakashi's head popped up.

"GET DOWN!" he yelled at the others just as a massive sword flew above them.

The whisper in Nyros' head spoke, saying only, " _I want it_."

"So, you are Kakashi of a thousand jutsu," a man with bandages covering his mouth said as he stood on the blade that was imbedded in the tree. "I must say I'm unimpressed. I didn't know that you took up baby sitting."

"Master, who's that?" Sakura asked, terrified.

"That's Zabuza, the demon of the mist," he answered before giving out orders. "All of you, protect Tazuna. I'll handle Zabuza."

"Very brave, Kakashi. But I wonder, do you really stand a chance against me?"

The rest of the dialogue was drowned out as the voice spoke again." _He does have a point, you know,_ " it said. Nyros moved purely on instinct while the voice spoke to him. " _Does he? You haven't seen what either of them are truly capable of._ " A thick mist enshrouded the area. " _Kakashi will lose to this man. You will die. Unless you let me out._ "

"No," Nyros yelled in his head. "You will not come out! Not again"

" _Are you so sure? Just look._ " Nyros' head turned out to the water, where he saw Kakahi trapped in a bubble of water and Zabuza created a clone of himself. " _You can't beat him. You're pathetic. Weak. I am strong. I can... eliminate the threat as you so aptly put it. Maybe even enjoy a meal._ " Nyros and Sasuke both attacked the clone, both of them being easily swatted away like flies. " _Let me handle this. I can beat him."_

"Fine," Nyros said in his mind. "Just don't kill anyone. And don't let my teammates see you."

" _You're no fun. Very well. I suppose that I can't have you dying on me, can I?_ "

Nyros shot his fingers into the ground, stopping him while he recovered from the last attack that the clone made against fog had grown thick enough that he couldn't see his teammates, though he could easily detect their heartbeats. As well as the one belonging to the clone.

He stayed hunched over for a few moments before his shoulders shook in laughter. It started off quietly at first, increasing in volume until it was a full on laugh of dark mirth. He appeared in a cloud of dark smoke by the ocean's side, looking at himself as if he were looking at a mirror for a few moments.

"Why do I bother?" he said to himself as he looked away from the water, though his voice was drastically changed. It was deeper, darker. "It's not like I can see myself anyway."

"Nyros?" Kakashi questioned from within the bubble. Hunger just smirked at him, large fangs revealing themselves.

"Sorry, but no. The name's Hunger. It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Kakashi. Nyros has nothing but compliments of you. He sends his regards."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Hunger, anger radiating off his body.

"Relax, Kakashi. I've been ordered by Nyros not to kill anyone, so I won't." A wicked smirk grew on his face, revealing a mouth full of sharp fangs. "Doesn't mean that I won't have some fun, however."

He then faced the clone of Zabuza, vanishing in a blur of black smoke before appearing behind the clone. His hand had gone through the clone's chest, where the heart would've been located. The clone exploded in water when Hunger removed his hand and jumped away. While this water wouldn't hurt him too badly, it would still sting like hell and he didn't want to get covered in it. He then looked to the original, his already large smirk turning into a deranged smile.

"As long as I don't kill you, I can do whatever I want," he said madly. "So I think I'm going to make you my next meal."

He then lept at the larger man. In a moment of panic from the sheer bloodlust that the boy was giving off, Zabuza quickly jumped away from the bubble, releasing Kakashi just as Hunger reached them both, grabbing Kakashi and taking him to the shore. He then looked to Zabuza again, a look of desire in his crimson eyes.

"I want that sword," Hunger said desperately. "I WILL have that sword!"

He charged the man again, ready to beat the giant man into submission for the sword. He made to scratch the man with black claws that had appeared on his fingers, replacing his nails. Zabuza dodged the attack, countering with a swipe from his sword. The attack connected, putting a large gash down Hunger's chest.

"Well, whada ya know," Hunger said, his voice almost a whisper, as he felt the blood from the wound with his fingers. "I guess the little demon does have some bark to match his bite afterall."

Zabuza roared at him and charged.

"Too easy," Hunger thought as he drew back his blood-covered hand. "BLADES OF BLOOD!" he yelled, swiping quickly in front of him. The blood from his hand arced ahead of him, making contact with the charging Zabuza who stumbled slightly as the projectiles sliced deeply into him.

Taking advantage of the situation, Hunger ran up to Zabuza, claws ready to strike again. However, he was stopped when two needles pierced the man's neck, killing him instantly.

"What the-" Hunger questioned, looking around.

A boy fell from some nearby trees and walked over to Zabuza's body with several more needles in hand, marking him as the one who threw the first two.

"Who the hell are you?" Hunger demanded of the boy.

"My name in unimportant," he responded. "I am just a ninja who has been trying to track down this rogue for several days now. Just out of curiosity, do you still want his sword?"

"Like I could loot someone else's kill. No, it's yours. I'll just fight you for it if we meet again."

The boy laughed. "I look forward to it." With that, he vanished, taking the body with him.

"That was surprisingly noble of you, Hunger," Kakashi said, having witnessed the whole thing.

"What about it? I'm still a Ketsueki. I still have my pride. It wasn't my kill, so I don't get the rewards. Simple as that. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take a nap. Fill Nyros in on what happened." He looked back down at the large cut on his chest. "This is gonna hurt like hell."

A soon as the words left his mouth, Hunger's eyes returned to their usual onyx color as Nyros regained control. He stiffened for a moment before passing out onto the ground. Sasuke and Sakura ran up to them, Tazuna close behind, all immediately worrying about their friend/protector.

"What happened?" Sakura asked.

"What happened to Nyros?" Sasuke demanded, worried for his friend.

"Is the boy going to be okay?" Tazuna asked worried for the boy's safety.

"He will be fine. Zabuza was killed by another ninja, and that's for Nyros to say. Come on. We should get Tazuna home. Nyros will need medical attention soon, but if what I remember about his clan is correct, he should be fine soon."

"Then let's go," Tazuna said. "I know the way from here. My daughter Tsunami will fix you all up with some good food to help get your strength back. Follow me."

 **AN: I'm sooooo sorry! I am horrible at writing fight scenes. I did my best but it still came out terribly. And I know that it's really early to be introducing Hunger, but it just made sense for him to come out here. Fair warning though, he will be making several appearances in this story.**

 **Please be sure to follow, favorite, and leave a comment on what you thought of this chapter or the story as a whole.**

 **And feel free to check out my youtube channel, Wizard Warrior Gaming. If you can't tell, me and a buddy of mine play video games on it. Right now we are doing let's plays of Dark Souls III and Dragon Ball Xenoverse. Come and check us out.**

 **BYE!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: OH MY GOSH I AM SO SORRY!**

 **I didn't realize that I had forgotten to post this chapter. I thought that I had but this morning I noticed it in my files but not on the site. I am so sorry for the wait. As apology, I will tell you the gist of what happened.**

 **Nyros and Hunger have a chat in their mind where Hunger describes himself to Nyros and the two make an agreement to work together. Also, Nyros makes a big promise to Inari.**

 **That's about it. Now for thanks:**

 **Rakuzai, thank you for your comment. I really hope that I meet your standards for development(but keep in mind this is the first one that I've gone so far on). As far as the Kerryugan, as it turns out, they are. I had no idea that they even existed. Let's say that the clans are related, just the Ketsuekis are more into their worship of blood.**

 **NOW ONTO THE STORY!**

Nyros walked the halls of the dark castle. The halls were lit by dim torches, and crimson banners were hung along the walls. He could hear that it was raining outside, a storm as thunder clapped and made the stone structure rumble.

He did not know how long he had been meandering through the halls. He turned when he felt he should, going purely by instinct. Despite not recognizing the place, he could not help the sense of calm that he felt as he continued. It was somehow, familiar.

Eventually he stumbled across a large dining hall that was elegantly decorated. Arches went high into the tall ceiling, there were large pillars that held up the massive structure. Chandeliers of gold hung above a long dining table that was covered in food.

His stomach growling, he sat at the head of the table and began to eat the feast before him. Seasoned meat, pastries, fruits and vegetables, it was a meal for a king.

He ate quickly, not even bothering with his manners as he tore apart his food and devoured it with no regards. Until he noticed that he wasn't the only one eating.

Slowly looking to his right, around a small pile of uneaten food, he saw himself, but not himself, eating what looked to be a human arm. With each bite he made with his large fangs, blood poured from the appendage, down his face and into a stone goblet, which he then drank from.

Nyros watched sickly as he saw a side of him that he had never seen before, but recognized easily, greedily eat.

"Hunger," he said.

"Hold on," the monster replied, his mouth full of human. "Let me finish first." Within a matter of seconds the rest of the meat was devoured, every drop of blood drunk, leaving only a few clean bones.

"Yes?" Hunger asked with a large grin, showing pearl white fangs covered in blood.

"You now where we are." It wasn't a question.

"Of course. This is my home. The place that I've been living for more than a decade. This," he swung his arms out as he gestured to the castle, "is your mind."

"Why am I here?"

"I'm so glad you asked." Hunger snapped his fingers and all of the food and dishes vanished into smoke, leaving the two at the table alone.

"I want to talk to you," Hunger said. "The last few times haven't really been the heart-to-heart that I've been wanting, and since you're going to be here awhile, it made sense to make this that opportunity."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Me and you. Our... relationship."

"Relationship? We have no relationship."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong. We do have a relationship. Ours is just a... complicated one."

"Explain yourself. Now!" Nyros said, growing impatient.

"Alright, alright. Settle down. To start, let's talk about you and me. We are Ketsueki. A clan of blood worshippers who learned how to gain power from other people's blood as well as several other gifts. You do not know any of these techniques, but I do."

"How?"

Hunger shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea. The point is, I'm supposed to teach you these powers. As well as make sure that you live long enough to learn them. Several of them will come naturally to you, but most of them will require me and my teachings."

"Why would you want to do this? Why teach me? Why protect me?"

"Hmm, lemme think," it said sarcastically. "Maybe because if you die then I do too? I dunno, but that sounds like a logical reason, don't you?"

"I guess so."

"Good. Glad we agree. Now, hear's the deal. My job is to keep you alive. I can't do that if you won't let me. So, we need to set up some kinda system or deal so that we don't have to debate each time that I need to step in."

"What makes you think that I'll let you?"

"'Cuz if you don't then you will most definitely die if we run into someone like Zabuza again. Who is still alive by the way."

"Zabuza's still alive? How?"

"I don't know for sure. All that I do know is that I heard his heart beating so slowly that I almost didn't hear it right before the boy vanished with him."

"Shit."

"Anyway, if you do, then I step in anyways, kill whatever killed you and anything else in the general vicinity. How does that sound?"

Nyros was speechless.

"Right. You don't want that. I don't want that. Actually, yes I do. I would love to have a whole-sale slaughter of the general public, but that would probably destroy you sooo..."

"Alright, I get the idea. So, what kind of plan are we talking about here?"

"Simple. The do's and don't's, like kill the bad guy but don't kill my friends, yadda yadda yadda, y'know. The usual."

"Sounds good to me. But I don't want you to kill anyone if you can help it. Unless I say otherwise."

"Got it boss. No killing." He saluted. "It'll be tough to restrain myself, but I'll do my best."

Nyros gave a sigh of relief. "Good. Thank you."

"And just so you know, I'm not the monster that everyone says I am. I mean sure, I love to fight and enjoy nothing more that seeing the spray of blood from a deadly attack, but I'm not THAT bad. I am the dark side of you, but I am still you, a Ketsueki. I am the embodiment of your hunger, your thirst for blood, and your love of combat. I have my honor and pride. I will not break any promise that I make, nor will I take what isn't mine. Except lives and blood. Those don't count."

"And how do I know that I can trust you on that?"

"Because I'm you."

"Fair enough."

He clapped his hands together and smiled. "Perfect. Now you should probably be on your way back. Your friends are worrying about you. Oh, and by the way, good call on the Uchiha. I like him. Bye."

"Nyros," a distressed Sakura said. "Please wake up."

"Don't worry. Master Kakashi said that he would wake up soon. With his medicine the wound on Nyros' chest has already healed. He probably just needs to recover his chakra from healing so fast."

"Or maybe he just didn't want to hear your annoying voices," Nyros grumbled as he slowly woke up. He forced one eye open to look around.

He was in a small wooden room underneath a warm blanket with Sakura and Sasuke sitting on either side of him. There wasn't very much to identify the room from where he was lying down, so he decided to stand up and take a look around. When he began to sit up he was roughly pushed back down by Sakura.

"You are not getting up yet, mister," she scolded. "That attack did a lot of damage and, even if the skin has healed, there may still be internal damage that hasn't healed yet."

"As surprised as I am to say this, she's right," Sasuke said, ignoring the pink haired kunoichi's aggravated "HEY!"

"You may still have something deeper down that you haven't properly recovered from yet. So for now you should stay in bed."

"Where's Kakashi?" Nyros asked.

"Right here, kiddo," Kakashi said as he walked into the bedridden ninja's line of sight. "You really gave us a scare for awhile there." He turned to the other two genin. "I need both of you to leave for a moment. I need to talk to Nyros about what happened at the lake.

"Yes sensei," they both said and left.

"What do you want to talk about?" Nyros asked.

"Which one are you?"

"Nyros. Hunger's in there somewhere, but for now it's me."

"You let him out again."

"I did. I didn't have a choice. I made him promise that he wouldn't kill any of you guys before I let him out this time."

"Will you be able to make a deal like that again?"

"Already did. I was talking to him in my dreams. I made him promise not to kill anyone unless it's necessary if we get into a spot where there is no other choice."

"Good. Can you trust him?"

"He's like me. He honors his word."

"I hope so." Kakashi sat next to him as he sat up. There was a dull ache from the injury still, but nothing unbearable.

"What medicine did you use?" Nyros asked his mentor.

"My blood. Your kind are able to recover from injuries quickly if you drink blood, so I gave you some of mine.

"Did you tell them? About me?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No. I figured that you should be the one to tell them."

"Do you think I should?"

"I think that they are going to find out one way or another. Might as well be from you. And they already know that something about you isn't normal. Especially after our fight with Zabuza."

"Speaking of, he's still alive. Hunger heard his heart beating just before he vanished."

"I figured as much. Zabuza isn't the type to die so easily."

"We need to do something."

"We are. I have the other two practicing tree climbing for chakra control. Do you need the practice?"

"I already know that technique. I figured it out when I was climbing in the woods a few months ago."

"Of course you did. So, are you going to tell them or not?"

"Not yet. If they ask I'll tell them that I have split personalities. It's not too far from the truth."

Kakaski nodded and got up.

"You should continue resting. If my gut's right, which it usually is, we're going to need all three of you to be in perfect shape for the coming battle." He walked to the door. "Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes sensei," Nyros said before shutting his eyes.

He didn't know how long he had been asleep before he was rudely awoken by a small foot in his side.

"Wake up," a child's voice said. "I wanna ask you somethin'."

"What?"

"Are you retarded?"

Nyros was about to respond until he actually noticed what the kid had just asked and had to pause for a moment to think.

"What makes you think that I am?"

"You got beaten pretty badly earlier and are still recovering from it, yet as soon as you can get up you're gonna go and fight him again. That's stupid."

"Actually, it's insane," Nyrose said before he cracked up at his own bad joke. "But seriously. No. I'm not an idiot or whatever else. I am a ninja who has a mission to do."

"But there's no way that you can win," the boy said. "Gato is unbeatable. No one can stop him. Not even you ninja." The kid began to cry softly, quiet sniffles being the only real evidence.

"What's your name?" Nyros asked.

"Inari."

"Well, Inari. I'm gonna prove it to you that Gato can be beaten. I'll show you that Gato can be killed."

"How?"

"I'll kill him myself. How does that sound?"

"If you could do that, I'd see you like a brother."

"Just promise me something."

"What?"

"If I do beat him, you are not allowed to cry because of a bully ever again. 'Cuz that's all Gato is. A big bully. And you have to stand up for yourself. No more moping around. Deal?"

"Deal!"

The two shook hands and the boy ran out of the room.

"And how are you gonna do that if you vomit every time you so much as see a corpse?" Hunger asked.

"Simple. I'll let you kill him."

"You're kidding, right kid?"

"First of all, I'm dead serious. Second of all, don't call me kid. I'm as old as you are."

"Fine. As long as I can get a good meal out of the fat bastard I don't care. Just make sure that you don't forget to let me out."

"Don't worry. I won't."

 **AN: And there you go. Again, I want to apologize for the delay. I am currently still in the process for writing the next chapter, so bear with me on it. I will get this done, I promise.**

 **Feel free to leave a comment, favorite or follow this story. And, for Fariy Tail fans, I have another story called The Scholar that I think you all might enjoy. Lastly, check out my youtube channel Wizard Warrior Gaming. Me and a buddy of mine play games for fun, right now it consists mostly of Dark Souls III and Dragonball Xenoverse, but please check us out.**

 **I hope to see you all next time. BYE!**


End file.
